What is a Heat Pump Optimiser?

For the first time in a long time I was stumped by a heat pump question from a customer the other day. They asked me if we were fitting a heat pump optimiser, which they'd heard was an absolute necessity when installing a heat pump.  

Optimisers I had heard of, but never called that. We fit the Homely smart thermostat on all our Samsung EHS heat pumps. But Havenwise and Passiv UK make "optimisers" as well. Maybe I need to get with the new lingo.

The Homely Smart Thermostat

This got me thinking....

In order to control a heat pump properly, you need a combination of these 3 things in place. 

1️⃣ An installer who understands heat pumps;

2️⃣ A smart thermostat/optimiser;

3️⃣ A heat pump that can be controlled remotely.

If you have the first, you don't necessarily need the others, but if you don't have the first you definitely need the second. If you have the first, you can have the third without needing the second.  

The fact that the installer in the article offered weather compensation as an optional extra on their way out the door shows that they didn't understand heat pumps. The ability to run your heat pump hotter or colder depending on the outdoor temperature is absolutely key to running your heat pump efficiently.

Typically this is set up by the installer on the heat pumps controls and then left to do its thing. If you want to really fine tune it, it may take a return visit or so, but a good installer will offer this service.

Alternatively, you can install a product such as Homely or Havenwise that learns the performance of your home in different weather conditions and adjusts automatically without installer intervention. 

The third option is the gold standard, which is to install a heat pump like a Nibe, Stiebel Eltron or Kronoterm, where all the heat pump's settings are configurable remotely. Then your installer can fix lots of heat pump issues, not just the weather compensation settings, remotely, giving you a high level of confidence that your heat pump will work efficiently and without interruption for many years to come.